Adriamycin is presently regarded as the most promising new anticancer drug currently under investigation. Adriamycin displays significant activity against a broad range of human cancers including leukemia, sarcoma, lymphoma, brest cancer and lung cancer. Demand for adriamycin cannot be effectively met by its natural source and no practical synthesis of the substance currently exists. The objective of the present project is the development of a practical total synthesis of adriamycin which will be amenable to large scale production of the material. The proposed synthetic sequence is exceptionally short and can alsobe readily adapated to the preparation of analogs of adriamycin for pharmacological evaluation of anticancer activity.